Nonlinear optics for photonic quantum networks

By harnessing quantum mechanical effects we can create technology with greatly improved functionality including enhanced sensing, exponentially faster computing, the simulation of previously inaccessible quantum systems, and the secure transfer of information. In our ever more connected world, it is important that we can communicate securely, and as technology develops into the quantum regime it will become important for distant quantum processors to exchange information over a quantum network. Here we discuss how quantum information can be encoded and transferred around a such a network. We concentrate on the use of nonlinear optics to generate and manipulate photons, and present schemes for fully secure quantum communication.